System for performance and inspection of facility maintenance and custodial processes

ABSTRACT

A method for performing maintenance of a facility for use with a server, a plurality of communication sensors arranged throughout the facility, and a portable communication device, the method for use with a cleaning module, quality control module, and inspection module.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No.63/173,653, filed on Apr. 12, 2021, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The system of current invention relates generally to facilitymaintenance, and more specifically to the computerized processes andmethods for completing sanitization tasks, quality control, and theinspection of the tasks throughout a facility or group of facilitiesusing a combination of real-time and historical data.

BACKGROUND

The system of the current invention is designed to facilitate thesanitary maintenance, review, and inspection of a facility's elements orassets to ensure the facility's locations and assets meet minimumrequirements for customer- and guest-facing experiences. To ensure asafe environment, both for patronizing and employing, making certainthat environments, assets, and elements are thoroughly cleaned and inproper working order—and that the process is conducted and completed ina manner that aligns with the facility's protocol—is imperative tooperation.

Some of the most complex problems with prior systems are a result of aninability to efficiently track and utilize historical data of workcompleted in conjunction with real-time data, as well as the lack ofability to immediately address concerns that arise because of theconjunctive real-time and historical datasets. These issues presentedproblems amongst patrons and consumers, who expect to enjoy a facilitythat is clean, safe, and properly functional, as well as with facilityemployees, who may be unable, due to lack of sufficient information, orunderqualified to address identifiable issues with a facility's elementsor assets.

To combat such hardships, the system of current invention employs thehistorical logging of completed cleaning and quality control activitiesmost recently conducted within the location in question. Additionally,the overall system workflow is highly configurable to suit the needs ofvarious organizations, and to address the varying needs of differentvenues or locations within a single corporate or organizational entity.The inspection module within the system of current invention isresponsible for providing a reliable history of work, facilitating theimmediate creation and/or scheduling of follow-up work, and concisecommunication between end users, which may also be visualized on a mapdisplay within the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments and/oraspects of the disclosure and, together with the written description,serve to explain the principles of the disclosure, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary process for end user interaction withthe cleaning module according to an aspect of the system of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process for end user interaction withthe quality control module according to an aspect of the system of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary process for end user interaction withthe inspection module according to an aspect of the system of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary high-level build according to an aspectof the system of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a location hierarchy employed according to an aspectof the system of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary cloud architecture scheme according toan aspect of the system of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method for performing maintenance of a facility for use with a server,a plurality of communication sensors arranged throughout the facility,and a portable communication device, the method for use with a cleaningmodule, quality control module, and inspection module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To promote an understanding of the principles of the current disclosure,reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in thedrawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill, nevertheless, be understood that no limitation of the scope of thedisclosure is thereby intended; any alterations and furthermodifications of the described or illustrated embodiments, and anyfurther applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustratedtherein are contemplated and would normally occur to one skilled in theart to which the disclosure relates. All limitations of scope should bedetermined in accordance with and as expressed in the claims.

Whether a term is capitalized does not consider it definitive orlimiting of the meaning of a term. As used in this document, acapitalized term shall have the same meaning as an uncapitalized term,unless the context of the usage specifically indicates that a morerestrictive meaning for the capitalized term is intended. However, thecapitalization or lack thereof within the remainder of this document isnot intended to be necessarily limiting unless the context clearlyindicates that such limitation is intended.

Overview

Aspects of the system of the current disclosure generally relate to thecomputerized monitoring of the movement of people and assets to helppublic and private facilities improve the overall customer experience inone or more facility locations (e.g., restrooms, meeting rooms, malls,retail stores, restaurants, etc.). It is common for facilities to abideby scheduled cleaning and maintenance practices, in which a custodian,or otherwise accountable employee, conducts a pre-planned and scheduledcleaning of a given location or group of locations. Upon completion ofthe scheduled cleaning event, a supervisory or managerial individualwould then review the actions taken while completing the scheduledcleaning event and evaluate the quality of the work that may have beenperformed, in accordance with the statutes and guidelines of theemploying facility. While custodial tasks are a frequent and necessaryoccurrence across organizations, less frequent evaluations regarding themaintenance and performance of assets and/or elements within a givenlocation or group of locations are equally imperative to the facility'soperations and overall customer experience.

The system of the current disclosure is designed with the purpose ofcreating a system that can use artificial intelligence, derived bysensor data, to determine the optimal frequency with which to clean andsanitize various locations. By using 3^(rd) party sensors to gatherdata, the system of the current disclosure identifies the optimal timefor cleaning and sanitation to occur. Additionally, the system'sintegration with 3^(rd) party sensors allows for proactive monitoringand alerts to be generated when assets or locations are out ofcompliance or in need of maintenance.

System Structure

Referring now to the figures, for the purpose of example and explanationof the fundamental processes and components of the disclosed systems andmethods, reference is made to FIG. 4, which illustrates an exemplary,high-level overview of the system of the present disclosure. Theproceeding example depicted in FIG. 4 is merely a single probablescenario, and other aspects may be used concurrently therewith. In thisnon-limiting example and those to follow throughout the remainder ofthis document, it is assumed the end user 78 possesses a valid set ofcredentials for the system and can successfully authenticate viaApplication Programming Interface (API) connection against the system'sdatabase 84.

As depicted in FIG. 4, an end user 78 may gain access to the systemthrough any of three or more mediums. The first point of access may bethrough the system's web component 79, in which the end user 78 providesa valid username and password to gain access to the system. The secondpoint of access to the system of current invention is via a nativelybuilt iOS mobile application 80, which may also require a set of validuser credentials. The third point of access to the system is via anatively built Android mobile application 81, which may require a set ofvalid user credentials. All data collected, created, or otherwisemanipulated within the system through any of the points of access may bethen transported via the system's application server 82 and subsequentlythrough the integration platform 83 to be stored in both a masterdatabase instance 84 and in the system's data warehouse 85.

In accordance with Software as a Service (SaaS) models, the system ofthe current invention may include a production environment, hosted by anInfrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud provider. Per FIG. 6, theproduction system may be hosted primarily in the cloud 91. The resourcescontained in the cloud 91 are used to host the system's mobileapplication component 80 and the system's web component 79. To utilizethe system, Client (A, B, C) 103, 104, 105 may navigate to the desiredpoint of access known as the login portal 102, which may be used as thepoint of access for end users, regardless of the subscription 92 towhich their account may be associated. Once successfully authenticated,the end user is provided access in accordance with the subscription 92,93, 94 to which their account is associated. The master database 98stores transactional data and contains the “last known record” ofchanges. The master database stores data to be processes throughintegration platform and stored within each client's data warehouse.Each subscription also has a database assigned that serves as a datawarehouse for the client and contains a history of changes for thatclient. Both the web instance and the mobile instance of the system mayaccess the same Data warehouse (A, B, C) 99, 100, 101 associated withthe respective client ID. In one example, Subscription A 92 may containits own independent and isolated Data warehouse instance, Data warehouseA 99. Similarly, Subscription B 93 and Subscription C 94 may have datawarehouses Data warehouse B 100 and Data warehouse C 101, respectively.Subscription A 92 may authorize feature access to Client A 103 based onthe feature selections made by the end user at the time the subscriptionwas created or thereafter.

The system can accept data from external parties 107 (e.g., hardwaredevices, data providers, etc.) if Client A 103 may wish to employ otherdata sources to enhance the user experience and data quality.

In one example, there may be three distinct modules constructed withinthe system from which a client can choose. It may be possible to use asfew as one or as many as all three modules in a single subscriptioninstance. Assume, for example, the system has three independent andactive subscription instances. Client A 103 successfully authenticatesto the login portal 102 and is authorized to access their subscriptioninstance Subscription A 92, which may employ all three availablemodules: cleaning module 95, QC module 96, and inspection module 97. Thecleaning module 95 may allow the Client A 103 to interact with features,functionality, and datasets that are unique to the workflow of the givenmodule 95. The QC module 96 may allow the client 103 to interact withworkflows and datasets that are unique to the module 96 while alsoproviding the ability to reference and analyze data collected from orthroughout the use of the cleaning module 95. Similarly, the inspectionmodule 97 also active within Subscription A 92 may provide additionalinteractions with the preceding modules, as well as expanded features,functionality, and datasets. All data collected across the modules andwithin the respective web and mobile system components, may be stored ina single database instance 98 that may be reserved solely forSubscription 92 and its related data.

Continuing with the current example, Client B 104 may access the systemthrough the login portal 102 and interact with two of the availablemodules. In this example, access may be granted to the cleaning module95 and its workflow, as well as the QC module 96 and its workflow. Thetwo modules may collect and exchange data in the same manner as theClient A′s 103 scenario. This Subscription B 93 would not have access tofeatures or functionality beyond what exists in the two modules. ClientC 105 may only have use of the inspection module 97 as part of theirSubscription C 94 within the system of current invention, which wouldthen restrict their features and functionality to those contained withinthe inspection module 97.

Location Hierarchy

In reference to FIG. 5, the system contains a location hierarchy, whichis designed to be fully customizable to any corporation's or facility'sstructure. The broadest level of the hierarchy is the Service Providerlevel 86, which may also be referred to as the client organizationentity. Within Service Provider 86 there may be at least oneorganization, such as Corporation 87, which may be the same as theService Provider or may be a client of the Service Provider on whosebehalf, the Service Provider is performing services. Each Corporation 87may have at least one Venue 88, which may be as broad as a universitycampus, or as specific as a single airport. The definition of a Venue 88may be determined by the given client organization. Within a Venue 88there may be Building 89, the exact definition of which may besubjective depending on the needs of the given client. For example,Buildings (1-4) 89 may be used to represent terminals within an airportvenue, or specific structures across an office campus or school campus.Within each Building 89 there may be at least one Location 90, for whichevents throughout the system of current invention may be created andallocated. The definition of a location may be as subjective as thelevels of the location hierarchy. For example, a location could be arestroom, a conference room, an individual store in a mall, etc.,depending on the needs of the client in question.

Cleaning Module

FIG. 1 illustrates the process of completing a cleaning alert. Cleaningalerts 1 may be system generated based on the analysis of existing datasets provided by various sensors and inputs or may be manually generatedby a client end user. The purpose of the system of current invention'scleaning module may be to facilitate the creation, assignment,conduction, and completion of a scheduled or ad-hoc cleaning event by anend user. This end user will be herein referred to as a Custodian forthe remainder of this document. In the upcoming exemplary scenarios, itis assumed that all configurable feature options that may be availablethrough the system of current invention may be available to theCustodian. It is further assumed that the Custodian is actively loggedin to an instance of the system's mobile component and has done so witha valid set of user credentials. Further, it is assumed that “Venue” inthis scenario is defined as Airport, “Building” is defined as TerminalA, and “Location” is defined as Men's Restroom. Finally, it is assumedthat a schedule for cleaning events in the Venue are configured andassigned.

For the purposes of this example, it is assumed that a cleaning alert atStep 1 is generated from a schedule for the Men's Restroom withinTerminal A at an airport and is assigned to the Custodian at Step 2.When the time of the scheduled alert has been reached at Step 3, theCustodian is notified of the assigned alert at Step 4 and is prompted toaccept or decline the alert. The Custodian accepts the alert at Step 5and the system then displays the destination, here Men's Restroom, ofthe cleaning alert at Step 6. In one aspect, the alert signal maycontain destination information and other information, such as assignedtasks discussed below. In another aspect, such information may be sentin separate transmissions. The Custodian travels to the Men's Restroomat Step 7 and upon arrival, if an electronic beacon device communicatingover a protocol, e.g., BLUETOOTH®, (Yes/No Step 8) has been placed in ornear and assigned to the Men's Restroom (Yes Step 8), the Custodian'smobile device may scan for or otherwise communicate with the beacon tomark the presence of the Custodian at the Men's Restroom automaticallyat Step 10.

In various aspects, either the beacon or Custodian's mobile device maytransmit a beacon signal and the other device may receive the beaconsignal and report to the server. In one example, the beacon may receivea signal from the Custodian's mobile device. The receiving beacon may bepart of a network formed of one or more beacons, and the receivingbeacon can communicate the presence of the Custodian's mobile device atthe receiving beacon's location to the server, e.g., via an internetgateway device.

In another example, the beacon may transmit a signal to the Custodian'smobile device, and the Custodian's mobile device may transmit a signalto the server via one of various communication networks, whereby theserver will mark the presence of the Custodian's mobile device at thebeacon's location.

In yet another aspect, the Custodian's mobile device may transmitlocation information to the server without communication with thebeacon, i.e., the mobile device may use a combination of one or more ofGPS, cellular, and/ or Wi-Fi or other location or communication systemsto identify its location and communicate with the server.

In one aspect where a beacon is not assigned to the Men's Restroom (NoStep 8), the Custodian via the software application may be provided witha screen to acknowledge they have reached the Men's Restroom at Step 9.In either case, the Custodian may be presented with a feedback screen(Yes/No Step 11) to provide their assessment of the conditions (Yes Step11) of the Men's Restroom at Step 12. This step is not mandatory and maybe skipped (No Step 11). Next, the Custodian may be presented with alist of assigned tasks (Yes/No Step 13) to complete during theircleaning alert. The Custodian may select tasks (Yes Step 13) completedat Step 14 or may skip this step if no tasks were completed (No Step13). A screen may then appear listing inventory that has been allocatedto the Custodian for use when completing cleaning alerts (Yes/No Step15). The Custodian may enter values for any amounts of inventory (YesStep 15) that were used at Step 16 or may skip this step if no inventoryitems were used (No Step 15). Next, the Custodian may be prompted toenter any comments (Yes/No Step 17) related to their work at the Men'sRestroom or the condition of the Men's Restroom upon their leaving. TheCustodian may add their comments (Yes Step 17) at Step 18 or skip thisstep (No Step 17) and mark the cleaning alert as complete at Step 19.The system may then process the information provided by the Custodianand store the data at Step 20 in the appropriate data warehouse for thesubscription owned by the airport.

Web-Based Cleaning Configuration

The concept behind the system of current invention's web component is toprovide users who are granted administrative permissions, who may bereferred to as Client Administrators throughout the remainder of thisdocument, with the ability to customize the system's workflow anddatasets utilized within the workflow to best fit the needs of theirfacility or group of facilities.

The cleaning module 95 as depicted in FIG. 6 may include a web componentthat is available to a specified, authorized user or collection of usersemployed by or within a facility or group of facilities. This portion ofthe system may be intended for use by administrative and supervisoryusers, thus providing access to areas of the system that may not beaccessible through the mobile component. This component may facilitatethe configuration of the module's various datasets, evaluation andvisualization of both real-time and historical data, and management ofend users and facility location hierarchies. This may include businessintelligence reporting views, user management capabilities, locationmanagement capabilities, and schedule management. The web and mobileplatforms may be linked via API connection that allows the exchange andmaintenance of data.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary process for end user interaction withthe cleaning module according to an aspect of the system of the presentdisclosure. In reference to FIG. 1, a Client Administrator may be ableto indicate the use or lack thereof of beacons within the system ofcurrent invention at Step 8. For optimal performance and user experiencewhile employing the system of current invention, it may be recommendedthat end users utilize the tracking abilities of BLUETOOTH® Low Energy(BLE) beacons. The system may be compatible with other wirelesssolutions (e.g., 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, RFID, etc.) but highly precise datacollection and accuracy may found with the employment of BLE-basedhardware. If third-party hardware is selected, the individual hardwarecomponents may be registered within the system of current invention'sweb component. This may allow at least one beacon to be assigned to eachindividual location within a facility. Multiple beacons are possible andmay be recommended for larger locations. If hardware of that variety isnot desired, accommodations are provided within the mobile component ofthe system to bypass the lack of signal to the end user's mobile device.

The existence of beacon hardware (Yes, Step 8) allows for the system toscan for the beacon signal in question at Step 10 until the activemobile device enters the beacon's range. Range is a subjective valuethat may be configured for or by the Client Administrator based on theirpersonalized facility needs. If third party hardware is not desired, aprovision to proceed can be made via the web component at Step 9, thusreflecting in the mobile component, allowing the workflow of the givenmodule to continue without detecting signals exuded via tertiaryhardware. A Client Administrator may also be able to configure whetherthey would like their Custodial end users to provide their feedback ofthe location in question at Step 11. If enabled (Yes, Step 11),Custodians may be prompted to provide their initial opinion of the stateof the location to which they have been assigned to perform a cleaningevent at Step 12. If disabled (No, Step 11), the step is excluded fromthe system of current invention's workflow for the subscription inquestion.

The web component within the system of current invention may permit aClient Administrator to include a pre-configured Task List within theirspecific instance of the system. Tasks may be included in the system atthe discretion of the Client Administrator at Step 13. If Tasks aredesired, they may be configured at two distinct points within thelocation hierarchy. Per FIG. 5, Task Lists may be first created at theVenue level 88 to best accommodate the differing needs of various venueswithin a single corporate entity 86. The Venue Task list may then befurther specified within the web component by applying certain Tasks toeach existing Location 89 within the overarching Venue. This may allowfor customization based on the type of Location (e.g., “Clean theurinals” is a Task that would apply to a Men's Restroom, but likely notto a Women's Restroom). Returning to FIG. 1, disabling the Task at Step13 will remove the Task List from the Custodian user's mobile componentworkflow.

Continuing in FIG. 1, following the completion or bypassing of Tasks atStep 13, the system of current invention may also be capable ofmaintaining a facility's Inventory usage data, e.g., received at Step17, if the Client Administrator so chooses. If active, a ClientAdministrator may configure a Venue-level Inventory List, followed byfurther specification of Inventory per Location. If de-activated, theworkflow for the subscription in question may not provide Custodial endusers with the option to denote Inventory items used throughout theduration of a cleaning event. The final point of configuration that maybe provided to a Client Administrator within the system of currentinvention's web component is to determine whether Custodians may begiven the option and permitted to provide their own free-form commentsat Step 17 on the location prior to completing their assigned cleaningevent. If activated, the Custodian may choose to enter commentary. Ifde-activated, the comment portion may be omitted from the workflow ofthe subscription in question.

Quality Control Module

The concept of the quality control (QC) module that may be included inthe system of current invention is that evaluation of work done,especially regarding cleaning and sanitization of a facility or group offacilities, must be compliant with the standards and regulations of theparent or managing organization in question. Bearing in mind thatstandards and regulations may vary from industry to industry andfacility to facility, the system of current invention may provide theend users responsible for conducting and interacting with the system'sQC module with a workflow process that is indicative of that configuredfor the cleaning module. This may ensure continuity and accuracy acrossthe pair of modules, as well as across the system. Throughout theremainder of this document, end users who may be responsible forinteracting with the QC module mobile component and conducting therelated QC events may herein be referred to as Supervisors.

Upon the completion of a cleaning event via the system of currentinvention's mobile component, a QC event may be initiated and assignedto the appropriate Supervisor user to ensure the work completedthroughout the cleaning event is compliant with organizational and/orfacility standards and regulations.

Web Quality Control Configuration

The concept behind the system of current invention's QC module webcomponent is to provide specific users, who may be referred to as ClientAdministrators, with the ability to customize the system's workflow anddatasets utilized within the workflow to best fit the needs of theirfacility or group of facilities. The proceeding scenario assumes thatall configurable portions of the cleaning module web component areactivated and received accurate information as provided by the Custodianresponsible for the given cleaning event. The QC module within thesystem of current invention may include a web component that isavailable to Client Administrator. This component may facilitate thecustomization and configuration of the evaluation process for cleaningevents as completed by a Custodian within a specified Location in afacility. The proceeding elaboration of the QC module's web componentassumes that all configurable points within the cleaning module webcomponent are configured to be active throughout the duration of acleaning event.

In this example, it is assumed that a Supervisor has been granted accessby their respective Client Administrator to perform all permissibletasks and evaluate all available data that is available for use withinthe system of current invention's QC module. It is further assumed thatbeacons are employed throughout the facility in question and that theend user, referred to throughout as Supervisor, has been successfullyauthenticated and authorized to access the system of current invention'smobile component. Finally, this example assumes that the workflow inquestion was configured in a way such that QC events are initiated uponthe completion of a cleaning event by a Custodian who is permitted toperform all configurable aspects within the web component of the systemof current invention's cleaning module at Step 21 in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, upon the creation of a QC event at Step 22 and theassignment of said QC event to the appropriate Supervisor, be it viamanual entry or via the system of current invention's logic, anotification may be delivered at Step 23 to the mobile device possessedby Supervisor user of choice. The Supervisor may subsequently accept theQC event assignment at Step 24, which may initiate a display of thelocation at Step 25 for which the initial cleaning event, thus therecently initiated QC event, was created. Upon the Supervisor's arrivalat the location, the QC module's mobile component may detect the signalof the beacon at Step 28 to which the location in question is allocated.Upon detection of the given beacon's signal, the mobile component mayproceed to the subsequent portion of the workflow in which the

Supervisor may evaluate the feedback provided by Custodian at Step 31responsible for performing the initial cleaning event. Continuingthrough the QC module's mobile component, the Supervisor may evaluatethe Tasks that the assigned Custodian denoted as completed at Step 33throughout the process of their cleaning event. The Supervisor may thenbe able to evaluate each Task in turn at Step 34, most commonly in amanner reminiscent of a Pass/Fail review at Step 35. In addition to thisgranular level of performance metrics, the Supervisor may also providean evaluation of the overall performance of the Custodian at Step 36.

In continued reference to FIG. 2, upon the Supervisor's completion oftheir evaluation of the Custodian's Task performance the Inventoryvalues at Step 37 provided during the cleaning event by which thisexemplary QC event was created, may be displayed for further review atStep 38. The system of current invention's QC module may provide theSupervisor with the inventory items for which values had been providedby the Custodian throughout the cleaning event. If the Supervisoridentifies an error in the provided inventory data, they may adjust thenumeric value provided at Step 39 to maintain the most accurate possibledata. Following the Inventory evaluation, at Step 42 the QC module'smobile component provides the Supervisor with any comments that may havebeen left by the performing Custodian in Step 41, as well as allow theSupervisor to include additional comments at Step 43 that may besupplemental to the data previously evaluated. After proceeding throughand evaluating all available datasets provided by the system of currentinvention's QC module, the Supervisor may choose to accept or reject atStep 44 the quality of work completed by the Custodian throughout theircleaning event. Per a satisfactory performance, the QC event may beaccepted by the Supervisor, updated accordingly at Step 45, and theevaluation data recently completed may be insert into the respectivesubscription's allocated database at Step 49. Contrarily, the Supervisormay reject the quality of work completed by the Custodian due tounsatisfactory performance and failure to meet organizational orfacility standards and regulations. In the event of a rejection, thesystem's QC module may provide the performing Supervisor with the optionto initiate the creation of a follow-up cleaning event at Step 46.Should the Supervisor choose to create another cleaning event for thelocation in question, they may do so at Step 47, creating a cleaningevent and assigning it to the same location and Custodian as the initialcleaning event the completion of which triggered the creation of thecurrent exemplary QC event. Alternatively, the Supervisor may opt not tocreate another cleaning event and complete their QC event by rejectingthe quality of work at Step 48 without a follow-up. In both the case ofacceptance of a QC and event and the case of rejection of a QC event,the accrued data may be stored in the given subscription's allocateddatabase at Step 49.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process for end user interaction withthe quality control module according to an aspect of the system of thepresent disclosure. With reference to FIG. 2, the employment of beaconsat Step 27 within the subscription instance in question initiatesbehavior replicating that of the cleaning module web component. Ifbeacon hardware exists; the system may scan for the distinct signal atStep 28 emitted from the beacon or beacons specifically allocated to thelocation in question. In the event of a lack of beacon hardware, andidentically to the behavior of the cleaning module within the system ofcurrent invention, a provision may be made within the system's userinterface at Step 29 for the Supervisor to proceed to the next stage intheir mobile component sequence. In further accordance with theconfiguration of the cleaning module within the system, the Supervisormay be able to view the rating data provided by the Custodian at Step 31who conducted the cleaning event, the completion of which triggering thecurrently on-going QC event.

Continuing in FIG. 2, the Supervisor's evaluation of Custodian feedbackat Step 31 may be followed by the Supervisor's evaluation of the Tasksat Step 32 that were completed during the initial cleaning event, asdenoted by the Custodian who performed said Tasks. Within the system ofcurrent invention's QC module, it may be possible to further specify thelevel of granularity necessary to perform a QC event that enforces theSupervisor's organizational standards and regulations. A ClientAdministrator may decide, via configuration within the system's webcomponent, at Step 34 to permit their Supervisor end users to eitherreview solely the cumulative quality of work completed during thecleaning event at Step 36, or to review the quality of each Taskindividually at Step 35 in addition to the overall quality of the workcompleted at Step 36. The Client Administrator may further control theSupervisor's visibility into any Inventory at Step 37 data provided bythe Custodian responsible for performing the initial cleaning event. Ifvisibility into Inventory data is provided, it may be displayed to theSupervisor at Step 38. If visibility into inventory data is notprovided, the related section of the system's workflow may not beprovided to the Supervisor. Replicating the inventory behavior, theClient Administrator may allow or deny the Supervisor user anyvisibility into the comments at Step 40 that may have been left by theCustodian. In the event visibility is allowed, the provided comments orlack thereof may be displayed for the Supervisor at Step 41. The finalconfigurable point provided to the Client Administrator within the webcomponent of the system's QC module determines the Supervisor user'sability or inability to provide comments at Step 42 based on the datathey evaluated throughout their QC event. If permitted, the Supervisormay manually enter any additional information at Step 43 they may findto be supplementary or beneficial regarding the QC event.

Inspection Module

The concept of the inspection module within the system of currentinvention is that evaluating assets and elements within a facility'smultitude of internal systems should be simple to conduct and review, aswell as conducted with the largest amount of relevant historical datapossible. The system of current invention provides data to the end userthat may include the most recent cleaning performed and most recentquality control report conducted, as well as the ability to configurethe system's workflow to specific corporation or facility needs.

Bearing in mind that standards and regulations may vary from industry toindustry and facility to facility, the system of current invention mayprovide the end users responsible for conducting and interacting withthe system's Inspection module with a workflow process that isindicative of that configured for the QC module. This may ensurecontinuity and accuracy across the entirety of the system. Throughoutthe remainder of this document, end users who may be responsible forinteracting with the inspection module mobile component and conductingthe related inspection events may herein be referred to as Inspectors.

One example of how the mobile component of the inspection module withinthe system of current invention may be used is related to the process ofevaluating and maintaining elements that may exist in a restroomlocation. In this example it is assumed that beacons are configuredappropriately for and accurately assigned to the restroom location inwhich the inspection event will occur. Additionally, the Inspectorassigned to the inspection event in question has already been determinedand the configurable details within the workflow have been addedappropriately to the system. It is further assumed that the system'scleaning module and QC module are active and configured with thenecessary datasets for optimal performance within the inspection module.Finally, it is assumed the active Inspector in the following exemplaryscenario has accessed the inspection module's mobile component via amobile device with a valid set of user credentials, an inspection eventhas been scheduled, and the inspection event in question has alreadybeen assigned to the active Inspector.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary process for end user interaction withthe inspection module according to an aspect of the system of thepresent disclosure. Referring now to FIG. 3, an inspection event may becreated at Step 50 and assigned to the appropriate Inspector at Step 51.Similarly to the behavior of events within the modules, a start time forthe inspection event may be specified during the scheduling process.When the scheduled time for the inspection event is reached at Step 52,the chosen Inspector may receive a push notification via the system ofcurrent invention's notification engine at Step 53 to alert them of theupcoming event. The Inspector may then accept the assigned inspectionevent at Step 54, at which point the mobile component of the inspectionmodule may display the location for which the inspection event wascreated at Step 55. The system's mobile component may begin to scan forthe signal of the beacon at Step 58 which has been allocated to thelocation in question. Upon detection of the beacon's signal, theinspection module's mobile component may prompt the Inspector to begintheir evaluation of the various elements at Step 60 within the location.The Inspector may rate each Element individually at Step 62 on a scalethat is determined by the Client Administrator to maintain continuitywith metrics that may already exist from inspection events that may haveoccurred historically outside the system of current invention.Furthermore, every element may be assigned a percentage or weightvaluation depending on its level of importance to the ClientAdministrator. In addition to this level of granularity, the Inspectormay provide his review of the Location's Elements as a cumulative wholeat Step 63.

In continued reference to FIG. 3, the Inspector may have access to twodatasets procured from the cleaning module and QC module, respectively.The Inspector may view data and metrics collected during the most recentcleaning event performed at the Location in which the inspection eventoccurs at Step 64. The Inspector may also view data and metricscollected during the most recent QC event performed at the Location atStep 66. Upon completion of the Inspector's evaluation of the Elementsand any relevant historical data, he may be able to provide additionalcommentary at Step 68 by means of manual entry to supplement theevaluation provided at Step 69. If so desired, the Inspector may alsocapture visual media through their mobile device's built-in camera atStep 71. The mobile component of the inspection module may also permitthe Inspector to create a follow-up inspection event at Step 72 ifdeemed necessary. If desired, the Inspector may schedule anotherinspection event at Step 74 for the same Location in which they havejust completed the active inspection event. Upon completion of theinspection event at Step 75 within the system's inspection module mobilecomponent, the data collected throughout the recently concludedinspection event may be stored in the database at Step 76 allocated tothe appropriate subscription.

The first point of configuration available to a Client Administrator viathe inspection module's web component is related to the specific assets,herein referred to as Elements, under evaluation. As mirrored in theTask and Inventory configuration points, Elements may be configuredfirst at the Venue-level of the system of current invention's locationhierarchy, allowing the system's datasets to be customized to the needsof a given facility or group of facilities. For increased datagranularity, the Elements may then be assigned at the Location-level tofacilitate the creation of custom templates that may best align with thetype of location. Upon establishment of a Location's Elements, thusimplying the configuration of a Venue's Elements, the ClientAdministrator may configure their preferred method for evaluating aLocation's Elements at Step 61. The Client Administrator may configuretheir instance of the inspection module in such a way that an Inspectoris permitted to rate the status of each individual Element type at Step63. Alternatively, the Client Administrator may only permit the

Inspector to provide their overall rating of the Location's Elements atStep 64 if they so choose.

A Client Administrator may also be able to activate or de-activate anInspector's access to the system's historical data. If desired, data andmetrics collected throughout the Location in question's most recentlycompleted cleaning event at Step 65 may be offered to the Inspector asthey engage with the inspection module. The same access to the Locationin question's most recent QC event at Step 67 may also be permitted atthe discretion of the Client Administrator. Additionally, the inspectionmodule web component within the system of current invention furtherreflects the configurability of the modules by giving the ClientAdministrator the ability to activate or de-activate an Inspector'spermission to provide comments at Step 69 in an inspection event. Thesame level of configuration may be available with the inclusion ofvisual media in the inspection event at Step 71.

Web Inspection Configuration

The web component of the system of current invention's inspection moduleis intended for use primarily by the Client Administrator user of agiven subscription for optimal configuration and customization of thesystem's workflow and processes. The preceding scenario assumes that allconfigurable portions of the cleaning module web component and QC moduleweb component are activated and received accurate information asprovided by the Custodian responsible for the given cleaning event andthe Supervisor responsible for the given QC event. It is not, however,required or necessary for the preceding cleaning and QC modules to beactive and engaged with the inspection module. The scenarios employedare indicative of a single instance or embodiment of the inspectionmodule within the system of current invention.

Web View Dashboard for Multi-Venue Deployments

If the user of the system has deployed modules at multiple buildings orvenues within an organization, then the system may provide the user witha visual dashboard that indicates ratings or scores of each building.The intent of this feature is to provide an enterprise corporation asingle view of the performance across multiple venues.

This dashboard may highlight the overall score for each venue, where thescore may be calculated as an average of the inspections conducted atthat venue. There may be a list of each location within a building inwhich the modules are utilized. If there is a location highlighted,e.g., in red, it indicates that an area failed an inspection, and/or theInspector conducting the inspection issued a Cleaning Alert to thejanitor to proceed back to that location for the identified deficiency.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for performing maintenance of a facilityfor use with a server, a plurality of BLUETOOTH communication sensorsarranged throughout the facility, and a portable communication device,the method comprising: a. transmitting a cleaning signal from the serverto the portable communication device where the cleaning signal comprisesinformation regarding one of an identity and location of a targetlocation within the facility; b. transmitting an acceptance signalassociated with the target location from the portable communicationdevice to the server in response to receiving the cleaning signal; c.transmitting a beacon signal from one of the plurality of BLUETOOTHcommunication sensors to the portable communication device, where thetransmitting BLUETOOTH communication sensor is fixedly located at orproximate to the target location and where the beacon signal containsidentifying information; d. transmitting an arrival signal from theportable communication device to the server in response to receiving thebeacon signal; e. transmitting one or more assigned tasks associatedwith the target location from the server to the portable communicationdevice; f. transmitting one or more first comments associated with thetarget location from the portable communication device to the server; g.transmitting one or more completed tasks associated with the targetlocation from the portable communication device to the server; h.transmitting one or more consumed inventory associated with the targetlocation from the portable communication device to the server; i.transmitting one or more second comments associated with the targetlocation from the portable communication device to the server; and j.transmitting a completion signal associated with the target locationfrom the portable communication device to the server. k. transmitting aninspection signal from the server to a second portable communicationdevice in response to the completion signal where the inspection signalcomprises information regarding one of the identity and location of thetarget location within the facility, where the inspection signaltriggers an alert at the second portable communication device; l.transmitting an acceptance signal associated with the target locationfrom the second portable communication device to the server in responseto receiving the inspection signal; m. transmitting a beacon signal fromone of the plurality of BLUETOOTH communication sensors to the portablecommunication device, where the transmitting BLUETOOTH communicationsensor is fixedly located at or proximate to the target location andwhere the beacon signal contains identifying information; n.transmitting an arrival signal from the second portable communicationdevice to the server in response to receiving the beacon signal; o.transmitting the one or more assigned tasks associated with the targetlocation from the server to the second portable communication device; p.transmitting a review for one or more of the one or more assigned tasksassociated with the target location from the second portablecommunication device to the server; and q. transmitting a qualitycontrol status signal associated with the target location from thesecond portable communication device to the server.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the arrival signal comprises information included in orbased on the beacon signal.
 3. A method for performing maintenance of afacility for use with a server, a plurality of BLUETOOTH communicationsensors arranged throughout the facility, and a portable communicationdevice, the method comprising: a. transmitting a cleaning signal fromthe server to the portable communication device where the cleaningsignal comprises information regarding one of an identity and locationof a target location within the facility; b. transmitting an acceptancesignal associated with the target location from the portablecommunication device to the server in response to receiving the cleaningsignal; c. transmitting a beacon signal from the portable communicationdevice to one of the plurality of BLUETOOTH communication sensors thatis fixedly located at or proximate to the target location and where thebeacon signal contains identifying information; d. transmitting anarrival signal from the one of the plurality of BLUETOOTH communicationsensors that is fixedly located at or proximate to the target locationto the server in response to receiving the beacon signal; e.transmitting one or more assigned tasks associated with the targetlocation from the server to the portable communication device; f.transmitting one or more first comments associated with the targetlocation from the portable communication device to the server; g.transmitting one or more completed tasks associated with the targetlocation from the portable communication device to the server; h.transmitting one or more consumed inventory associated with the targetlocation from the portable communication device to the server; i.transmitting one or more second comments associated with the targetlocation from the portable communication device to the server; j.transmitting a completion signal associated with the target locationfrom the portable communication device to the server; k. transmitting aninspection signal from the server to a second portable communicationdevice in response to the completion signal where the inspection signalcomprises information regarding one of the identity and location of thetarget location within the facility, where the inspection signaltriggers an alert at the second portable communication device; l.transmitting an acceptance signal associated with the target locationfrom the second portable communication device to the server in responseto receiving the inspection signal; m. transmitting a beacon signal thesecond portable communication device to one of the plurality ofBLUETOOTH communication sensors that is fixedly located at or proximateto the target location and where the beacon signal contains identifyinginformation; n. transmitting an arrival signal from the one of theplurality of BLUETOOTH communication sensors that is fixedly located ator proximate to the target location to the server in response toreceiving the beacon signal; o. transmitting the one or more assignedtasks associated with the target location from the server to the secondportable communication device; p. transmitting a review for one or moreof the one or more assigned tasks associated with the target locationfrom the second portable communication device to the server; and q.transmitting a quality control status signal associated with the targetlocation from the second portable communication device to the server. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein the arrival signal comprises informationincluded in or based on the beacon signal.